Mari's Pages

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Work is not only work. Sometimes we can take a break from our experiments or analyses and learn about some pieces of Japanese tradition, like the pounding of rice cakes and kabuki dance.

In occasion of an international party gathering, we participated to the pounding and watched raptured the slow dance moves. Everything was organized and taken care by the Japanese employees for the foreign employees, in order to make those traditions known.

Let's start with the rice cakes. In Japanese they are called mochi (餅), and the process of preparing the cakes from rice is called mochitsuki (餅つき). Also, the fact that the word full moon can be also called mochi tsuki (餅月, literally, moon as round as a mochi cake) gives the pounding tradition a sort of spiritual connotation, and incentivized the passing of tales and myths over the centuries. All tales are somewhat different, but all of them have in common one element: a rabbit living on the moon pounding rice, and this image is what the Japanese swear they can see on the surface of a full moon. Pounding rice cakes is very common in Japan year-round, but it is mainly around the new year that it becomes more important as it is seen as a purifying act , if we imagine that fatigue is somehow a reward for the strength and stamina the pounding requires. Rice is soaked over night, then cooked, then passed into a stone or wood mortar where usually two pounders make the rice a mash by beating it in turns rhythmically with a mallet. A third person, tosses and turns the rice mass in between pounds. A glitch in the synchronization and finger pesto happens…The stickier the rice becomes, the harder is to pound, and in the five minutes the process takes, you can be sure one is exhausted. In the end the desired shape is made out of the mochi cakes and it can be eaten. In turn, some of us foreigners tried our pounding skills, until all rice was done and all cakes distributed.

While we ate our cakes, we watched the dance. Now, traditional dance, like the one performed at the kabuki theatre, is rather fascinating: the dancer wears kimono, ornaments, all sorts of accessories and hair pins. Each and every move of the long and slow dance is calculated such that the feelings described in the story the dance is about, are absolutely and unmistakably conveyed to the audience.

The piece we watched is called Fuji Musume (藤娘), or wisteria maiden, telling the story of a young girl's encounter with love and later with jealousy and betrayal. The story is inspired by the symbiosis between a wisteria and a pine tree, of how their branches intertwine and how essential they are to each other. Very nice dance to watch, and quite different from what we are used to. HERE is a link to a video of the dance first act performed at a theatre.

I left the party soon after the first act finished, hopefully with few more grains of good luck in my sack after the pounding of rice.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

I think this is a good time to start a sub series of the Japanese Lifestyle saga: the national holidays.

There are many national holidays in Japan, some of them of a stronger religious meaning than others.

New Year's celebrations, we've learned already. Next in line is the Coming of age day (成人の日, Seijin no Hi), the second monday of January. This day represents the passage to adulthood, formally celebrated by all young men and women who turned 20 the year before, and practically it means that now those adults are allowed to drink and smoke by law. Also, they can now vote.

Their day starts early, with first a visit to the ward office in order to receive the necessary instructions and recommendations on how to conduct a virtuous adult life, and to know the list of duties expected from a model citizen. After that, it is common to pay a visit at the temple to receive blessings for a happy and lucky new chapter in life. Because this event is at the beginning of the new year, people take this opportunity also for buying lucky charms at the temple, if they haven't done so already. At the end of the day, another common tradition is to celebrate the coming of age with friends, or with the family.

We wouldn't be talking about this ceremony if it wasn't for a detail: formal wear. There are very few occasions where people wear kimonos in Japan. The coming of age is one of those, as females wear beautifully crafted dresses, called furisode, or kimono for unmarried young women. This is different than the standard one in having different sleeves. To have an idea of what I mean, you can have a look at the Tokyo Fashion blog that has a very good photo coverage (here). While the guys opt for a formal suit and tie, generally, women go through a long series of preparation steps starting early morning with hair style, make up, dressing-up, accessories. Many girls nowadays tend to make an appointment with a studio, so that experts can take care of all the details, and also because putting a kimono on is a thing that requires help by at least two more people. Another practical reason why girls wouldn't do this at home is that buying a kimono for this one occasion in life is not affordable by many, hence rental of the wearables form the same studio that preps the girls is to be preferred. Unless one has a stash of kimono passed on from the mother or grandma.

In short, is a feast for the eyes, and girls don't mind to pose even for strangers or magazines photographers, happy to have their fair share of popularity.

Now, the best places where to spot them dolled up girls is at the main temples. However, on this day all main temples are packed for the occasion that draws families, tourists and curious people. This year, instead of heading to Tokyo, I went to Kamakura, without too much expectations, and in facts I didn't spot hordes of girls in colorful outfits, just one or two here and there. Maybe wrong timing, maybe wrong place, but I had a good time and a good bowl of rice, without having to walk through the packed temples.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

The day before NYE I was asked by a friend to check the 'Granduca' restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown.

The choice of the restaurant is very special, for many reasons. First of all, it is a restaurant of Sicilian food recipes. And who better than me can verify the authenticity?

Second, my sicilian folks may have already heard of the name of the restaurant...In fact, the Granduca is a fine restaurant in Taormina, a Sicily's pearl, located in the center of the touristic pedestrian area in the town. It features grand fish based meals, high quality wines, top service and stellar prices, not to mention the wide terrace that opens onto the gulf, with views of Etna, its frequent puffs of smoke and, occasionally, bursts of lava, the Ionian sea, and mainland Italy on a fine day. It is one of the best summer nights spots that can't be missed if you'll ever go to Sicily.

Anyway, this was to say that there is a restaurant with the same name, that promises the same genuine cuisine, in the middle of Chinatown. Yes.

A third reason to check the restaurant out is that, as a lover of Taormina and its beauties as I am, I felt a pang of nostalgia when I first discovered this place. It was many years ago, but it wasn't until now that I had the chance to try it.

My friend told me that he spoke to the chef himself, as to say that he was bringing a Sicilian into the restaurant so to make sure that I would have a real homey experience. Indeed, the owner and cook was responsible for bringing back memories of long forgotten flavors...

We were recommended a beautiful red wine from the west part of Sicily, town named Erice. I could start another long and passionate digression here about this pretty town that's the site for various scientific international conferences, but I leave it to my readers to dig info. I can only say that they also hold a "Molecular Gastronomy" conference there...no need to add that I know where I'm going next for work!

To go back to the dinner, the chef's choice for the menu was superb and really really Sicilian. Starters were a triplet of tiny bread buns in the color of the Italian flag to accompany chickpea puree; spaghetti with sea urchin sauce followed, then stuffed squid and fish filet baked in paper parcels. Meat followed, breaded pork cutlet Palermo style (meat is attached to a rib). Finally dessert was a mix of cakes, and mandarin ice cream served in a coffee cup.

Before leaving, a sip of limoncello, a chat with the owner and a promise to return. I think it's doable, there are many more dishes to try, after all.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

2015 can't start in a better way than being on the mountains for the first trip of the snow season…destination chosen is, after 4 years, again, Hakuba (白馬).

Nagano prefecture has everything a skier/boarder could ask for, given the fact that the small town of Hakuba alone sports 7 different ski resorts, all of excellent quality and for all levels: Tsugaike-koen (つがいけ公園), Iwatake (岩武), Happo-One (八方尾根), Goryu (五竜) and Hakuba47, Otari (小谷 with Norikura ,乗鞍 , and Cortina), Minekata (みねかた), Sanosaka (さのさか). All mountains surround the same valley, and the view from any mountain peak of your choice is magic.

While my first visit to Hakuba was at Tsugaike, this time I had the chance to play around on the snow of Iwatake and I really REALLY liked it. Thanks to heavy snowfalls, all slopes (not to mention roofs, cars, roads, etc etc) were coated with a thick layer of powder, making skiing/boarding so enjoyable that I didn't want to leave. The resorts had several lifts, and one gondola that from the base went all the way to the top, stretching along a 2km rope line. From the top, then, I chose a nice, long series of rides that cut through the trees down back to the base. The first time it took me one hour to finish the course, not only because it was the warm up ride and a level higher than my usual, but also because I had to stop here and there to look around, take some photos of the beautiful mountains around and of the valley shining under the sun like diamonds…

In the end, I stuck to the very same course for the entire day, finding it just too enjoyable to try something else. For the last two rides, in addition to the visual inputs, I focused on other inputs: the softness of the snow under my feet, the warmth of the afternoon sun, the sounds around me…yes, I did like listening to the sounds muffled by the helmet, like when your board slices through the snow, when small crystals fly around at every turn, when your need to balance presses on the thick and yet light layer of snow. I did like listening to what I couldn't hear too: few people around meant no voices, no girls screaming for any little movement…only you, your board, the sky and the white earth. And you know what, seriously, they should ban yapping girls from making it up to the slopes. Like, scare the hell out of them saying that they should shut the F up or they'll lose their tongue next time they fall forward…

Anyhow, only one thing really counts: Iwatake was, in a word, phenomenal.

Another day, another resort, there we come Happo-One! This was a bit of a trauma, I have to say. The weather conditions were not that great, it was snowing and visibility was low. I was teaming up with Sheila, amazing woman of unprecedented hangover resistance, in trying to reach the top of the mountain, hoping for better conditions above the clouds. Well… Not only conditions weren't better, they were actually worsened by strong winds that made the already steep slope (the ONLY ONE slope) look like a vertical jump into the abyss. When I saw what was in front of us my heart stopped and I nearly panicked. Oh, no, I did panic, although I had made huge progress on my skills and I couldn't recover for the next hour, even after managing to reach a lower altitude and with better visibility. Just too terrified to continue. Strength came back to my muscles and blood to my veins only when I caught up with two of the girls who took the beginners class and needed some more support.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Conventionally, a year ends on December 31 and another year starts on January 1. From the perspective of time, which day it is doesn't really matter: the cycle of life continues, sunrise in sunset out, and it repeats indefinitely. Although new year's day is just a placeholder, a mark, and whether it is an astronomical, political, social, historical, symbolic convention, the baseline fact remains: everyone observes it one way or another.

I am not a huge fan of new year's celebration, I am more of a celebrate-each-day-with-gratitude kind of person, but it is also true that our actions are very much influenced and conditioned by the environment around us…hence, I fall victim too and somehow I gave a special meaning to a very ordinary day (because they all do).

I decided I would have a special date with a special person, cook something really really nice and sit warm and comfy watching the snow fall. I went very creative with the menu this time, giving it a rather cheesy spin: rice paper rolls filled with mushrooms and savory garlic cheese, spinach and white mushroom salad with blue cheese cubes, puree of garlic&pepper cheese and eggplant. Freshly baked rye bread was a great addition to the table, and for a sweet touch I made chocolate and walnuts muffins.

Being my own guest was a happy and yummy "start" of a year. Because, what the hell, don't I count something?